Spruce Meadows hopes many will pony up for Calgary charities

Spruce Meadows senior VP Ian Allison mugs for a photo with painted horses at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alta., on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014. The Spruce Meadows Horses Jump to Give a Leg Up program this year is a fundraiser for groups still struggling in the wake of the 2013 floods. Lyle Aspinall/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency

Since Spruce Meadows launched its Horses Jump to Give a Leg Up campaign, bidding has eclipsed $100,000, which will go to local organizations that suffered in the wake of last year’s floods.

Co-sponsored by the Calgary Sun and ConocoPhillips, the program picked 20 local non-profits to decorate life-sized fibreglass horses, which have been displayed at Spruce Meadows throughout its summer horse jumping season, and will go home with the highest bidder.

With three weeks to go before the bidding wraps up on colourful herd, Spruce Meadows senior vice-president Ian Allison hopes the tally will rise even higher.

“These groups all do work that’s necessary to the community,” he said.

“We hope the community responds and we can build a little momentum for the final push.”

The scheme came about after officials at the popular Calgary attraction learned smaller charities in the Calgary area struggled with donor fatigue following 2013’s massive flooding.

Narrowing the field from 58 applicants to the 20 groups that all gave unique designs to their ponies, the charities set to benefit from the program range from animal rescue organizations to youth groups to community associations.

Allison noted those that didn’t make the cut also walked away with “nominal awards.”

The culmination of the campaign is set to come at the Spruce Meadows Masters, which runs Sept. 10-14.

Allison said the deadline for bidding is at 11:59 on Sept. 12, with the winners announced over the course of the weekend.

In addition to reaping the rewards from their bidding benefactors, people can also vote for their favourite foals, with the top three riding away with $10,000, $7,000 and $3,000 respectively.

The others will also receive $1,000 for participating.

Allison said he hopes to see the campaign carry on in some form into next year’s 40th anniversary celebration of Spruce Meadows and maybe even beyond.

“We really wanted to focus on less high-profile groups, those that are really struggling,” he said.

Spruce Meadows hopes many will pony up for Calgary charities

Since Spruce Meadows launched its Horses Jump to Give a Leg Up campaign, bidding has eclipsed $100,000, which will go to local organizations that suffered in the wake of last year’s floods.

Co-sponsored by the Calgary Sun and ConocoPhillips, the program picked 20 local non-profits to decorate life-sized fibreglass horses, which have been displayed at Spruce Meadows throughout its summer horse jumping season, and will go home with the highest bidder.